The Black Knight
by ParrillaStans
Summary: In the Enchanted Forest, Regina only had one person she could call a friend. After seemingly losing her before she cast the curse, she only remembers her when it's broken. As she begins to wonder where she's gone, she turns up in Storybrooke. The catch is, she doesn't remember a single thing. Regina enlists Emma to help her break through her friend's curse. Eventual Swan Queen.
1. San Francisco's Golden Girl

_**This is the story that I've told you about. It has one new character in it, no more: probably the central character to the story. This definitely doesn't have Swan Queen at first, so please, please be patient with me: it is definitely an 'eventual Swan Queen' Fic. Each chapter is like an episode of Once Upon A Time: Enchanted Forest in Italics, Storybrooke in straight writing. I really hope this gets a good reception. It looks to be quite a big story, and there's a sequel I'm already dying to put to paper. Enjoy.**_

**_DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE CHARACTER OF RAMIRA/FRANCESCA. BELONGS TO KITSOWITZ AND CO._**

_**THE BLACK KNIGHT**_

* * *

_She struggled to stand as the mud and water beneath her feet dirtied her clothes and body. The poor 12 year old girl eventually managed to stand, and tried in vain to wipe herself down. Although she was scruffy, she was still rather fair. Mouse brown her reached the bottom of her shoulder-blades, and she had bright blue eyes that always shone in the sunlight. She trudged off back to her hovel, where her father was waiting impatiently for them to go out and see the King and Queen's wedding procession. When she arrived he was sharpening a knife. She hated it when her father was sharpening a knife. That meant he was going to kill yet another animal in cold blood. He liked doing that, and it repulsed the poor child. _

'_Father, please, can we go to the procession without you trying to hunt a wild animal?'_

'_Nonsense, girl, it is one of the best times to sneak off. The animals all go and hide in their little spots. I know every single one,' he retorted, pricking his finger with the knife, deciding it was sharp enough for his liking._

_She ignored his backhanded, vicious tone and started to wipe off the mud from her dirty white dress. After over 10 minutes, she gave up, and decided putting on her dark navy cloak on was the best way to cover up the stains. The cloak may have had holes in it, but it was the best she could do. They were but a poor family. She was lucky she ate some days. _

'_Right, come on, if we're going to go to this bloody procession we better get on with it; it'll get dark soon, and my best kill will not be awake by the time we get there,' he bellowed, his alcoholic breath hitting the girl's senses._

_They walked to the procession together, not hand in hand, not side by side, but the girl in front, and the father at the back. He was almost walking round in circles and forward at the same time, looking for an animal to shoot or spike, his bow strapped to his back and his knife clipped to his belt. The girl hardly knew where he got the money to purchase them either._

_The girl was so excited about the newly crowned Queen of the North Kingdom. She was beautiful. She had seen her in pictures, and had caught sight of her once, when she was a smaller child; walking around the market with her mother, she presumed. _

_It wasn't that the girl wanted to be a Queen. She just wanted to grow up like somebody who the Queen would respect. Especially this Queen. Definitely Queen Regina._

_She rushed to the procession, where the streets were already lined with people. She rushed to the front of the crowd. She could see the carriage, but it was more than a kilometre away. She was about look around for her when her best friend, Abigail, popped up next to her._

_She had blonde hair, flowing down to her lower back. She was fair of face, but had a glittering smile. She was actually a Princess, the Daughter of King Midas, but her father gave her freedom to roam with a guard from the King's Palace. He was a good man. Not only that, he was a good father._

_The girl wished she could have that._

'_Are you ready to see the carriage?'_

'_More than ever. I've waited to see the Queen for so long, I'm not turning back now, Abigail.'_

'_I'm going to be like that one day. Never as beautiful as she, though. She surpasses all the beauty in the Kingdom,' Abigail sighed. The girl was truthfully terrified of the Kingdom she was to one day inherit, but of course, she wouldn't admit that to anyone, not even her best friend._

'_Yes, in this Kingdom. But you're from another, remember that, Abigail.' _

'_You're too sweet. Remind me to give you a place in my court when I become Queen. But I'm never going to look as amazing as… that.'_

_That was when the carriage passed them. The girl caught sight of the woman, waving from her carriage, a gorgeous smile gracing her face. Her hair could just be seen, in let down with some clips holding some of it back from her face._

_The one thing the girl noticed, though, was that there was sadness in Queen Regina's eyes. It was a sadness that she had never seen except in her own in the mirror._

_The two girls ran after the carriage, and because of its slow pace, they immediately overtook it, and kept running to where it was scheduled to stop and for them to make a short speech. While they were running, they had a conversation. The girl had something her friend needed to know, while they were alone with their thoughts._

'_Abigail, you know of the trouble I have with my father,' she began, slowing a little when they reached the scheduled stopping point._

'_Yes of course, the man is a… bastard. But why do you bring it up?' Abigail asks, confused as to the purpose of the conversation._

'_I'm going to run.'_

'_Run? You cannot run from this! He will hunt you down and have your head!'_

'_Princess, you know of my history. You know I am more than capable of taking care of myself.'_

'_I doubt that, my friend. You may be independent but suited and ready for a life on your own you most certainly are not,' Abigail replied, only showing concern for her friend._

'_I have to try. The man is a beast… a monster. He has been that way ever since my mother and my brothers were killed in the fire.'_

'_I know. But this is not the way.'_

'_It's the only way, Abigail,' she said, and with her eyes spilling tears, she reached for her friend and hugged her tightly. Abigail threw her arms around the girl. _

'_I love you Abbi,' she whispered, before pushing her away, running through the crowds and entering the dark wood ahead._

_Meanwhile, the carriage was nearing its stopping point._

_Queen Regina was staring at her feet, waiting for the carriage door to be opened._

'_Are you alright, Regina?'_

_Her head snapped up, and she whirled the question her newlywed asked her in your mind for a number of seconds before putting on her best smile._

'_I'm okay. But if you don't mind, before I give my first speech… I would like some fresh air. A little time in the woods?'_

'_Let me accompany you. It's a fine day for it, my dear,' he smiled and reached out his hand._

'_If you don't mind, Leopold, I'd just like some time alone in the woods. It's nice to be out there for a while.'_

'_Of course,' he said, holding out his hand again to help his new wife out of the carriage._

_She came out, and two guards escorted her to the edge of the woods. She was wearing a light blue and yellow cloak, with a whiter, more flowing dress than her wedding dress. She sauntered through the words, careful not to get lost. _

_She contemplated running._

_She had done since before Daniel's death. But she knew by now, after what her mother told her, that it was no use. She was bound to this life, heart and soul. It killed her._

_Then, she heard a cry._

_She walked toward the sound, and that's when she saw the girl sitting against the tree, her right shoulder leaning against it, and tears spilling from the bluest eyes she had ever seen._

_She rushed over to the child, and put her hand on her shoulder._

'_Are you alright, dear?'_

_The girl's head snapped up, and widened at the sight of the Queen she had so admired ever since she had first clapped eyes on her. _

'_Oh my goodness, your Majesty, please excuse me,' the girl stuttered, trying to get up and standing on her extremely painful twisted knee._

'_Nonsense, child,' Regina said, smiling slightly at the formal tone the girl insisted on using._

'_Call me Regina.'_

'_I would, but I really can't, your Majesty. It would just be too informal of me,' she stuttered again, but adding a weak smile on the back of her comment._

_Regina laughed then and it was music to the child's ears._

'_How about… Your Grace, then?'_

'_Certainly, Your Grace,' she replied almost instantaneously, making Regina chuckle again._

'_Child, what is your trouble? You seem lost,' she said,, her smile fading as she helped the girl stand confidently and put her hands on her shoulders._

'_That's because I want to be, your Grace.'_

'_Whatever do you mean, child?'_

'_My father… he is a cruel man. I must get away from him.'_

_Regina took herself down to the girl's eye level, and looked her straight in the eye._

'_Is that what you truly want?' She asked, her face completely serious._

'_Yes,' the girl replied. This time, her voice was full of the confidence that was needed._

'_Then you must go.' Regina undid her cloak, and took something from her belt that was round the dress she had been dressed in hours earlier._

_It was a pouch, made of soft leather, with a string to tie it together. _

_She held it out to the girl, whose eyes were wide with fear._

_'Take this. There is enough gold in there to buy you provisions, protection, and transport. Leave the kingdom. Build a life you believe is worth living, child. There is nothing more important in this life.' She took one of the girl's hands, and put the pouch of Gold in it, closing her fingers over it as far as they could go._

_'Your Grace, why are you doing this for me? You have known all but two minutes and are offering me means to save my life.'_

_'Because no matter what they have done, a girl's life is still worth saving.' She smiled again on that part. This time, the girl could see the happiness in her eyes. _

_Still sadness remained there, but happiness prevailed too._

_'I hope you don't mind, but there's something I want to do right now, and you've given me the courage to do so.' On that note, the girl limped forward once, and threw her arms around the Queen's neck, embracing the woman tightly. _

_It __took a second but then Regina accepted the embrace and held the girl to her.__They let go of each other ten seconds later._

_'The crowds are expecting me dear. I mustn't disappoint them.'_

_'Don't think you always have to please them, Your Grace. Live your own life too.'_

_The girl smiled sadly.__Regina respected this girl._

_ She could tell the child had a knack for perception._

_'Go!' Regina said urgently, but smiled at the same time. The girl started to run. _

_Her bad knee easing off somewhat._

_She stopped about ten metres away._

_'Your Grace!' __Regina's head snapped up, meeting the girl's eyes._

_'I will pay you this debt. One day I will come back and give what I owe you! I promise!' She shouted, a wide grin spreading across her face._

_'What is your name, child?'_

_'Ramira. My name is Ramira.' Then the girl turns and runs to the outer reaches of the Kingdom._

_She would not return for ten years. _

_It would also be ten years until Regina gave so compassionately to another living soul._

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

SAN FRANCISCO, PRESENT DAY

The station's busy.

It's always busy on a Saturday night in San Francisco.

Detective Francesca Ravenclaw takes out her phone and answers it on the second ring.

'D.I. Ravenclaw.'

'Relax, Rowina, it's Aidan.'

'Cut the Potter jokes, Ade. I am at work, you know. Weekends are the busiest, you know that.'

'I know, I know, but how about dinner at the Hard Rock? And your English accent doesn't help either.'

'Pier 39? Really?' She ignores the quip about her accent.

'Yes, really. I know you're an unsociable bastard, but some of us like to go out on Saturdays.'

'Yeah, Aidan. If you remember, those are the people my colleagues lock up for unruly behaviour. Oh and remind me, how's your friend Oscar doing with the attempted murder charge that we put on him after he tried to brain a 12 year old three Saturdays ago?' She sighed. She wanted to go out but she couldn't with all the paperwork. Plus, she owes way too much money anyway. She can't afford it.

'Okay, okay, I get the point. I'll pick you up after your shift. We can go back to yours, if that's good with you?' Aidan doesn't give up. That's one of the things Cesca admires about him.

'Yeah. Give me... Half an hour?'

'Midnight. Got it.' Cesca can picture the grin that plastered his face on the other end of the line.

'Bye.' Cesca ends the call and flings the phone down on the desk.

She puts her head in her hand, running her fingers through her hair.

She opens her laptop up, checking her emails. She doesn't exactly expect any, but she finds two.

**First email**

**Dear Inspector Ravenclaw,**

**You still owe us $14,000.**

**We want it by the end of the week, or we are coming round there. Don't make us force you out of a job.**

**This isn't going away, Ravenclaw.**

**Sincerely**

**Mr Caporetto.**

Cesca sighs deeply. There is only one way she could pay that by the end of the week, and that is cleaning out her back account, paying up and leaving San Francisco.

For good.

Cesca swallows at the thought. She has never ventured further than Oakland, let alone leaving California. This place is the only one she knows.

The only one she remembers after waking up in the Redwood Forest, just on the other side of the Golden Gate.

That was 31 years ago.

**Second Email**

**COME TO STORYBROOKE!**

**Quietest town in America. A dock for your finest boat, some of the best seafood on the Eastern Seaboard and an almost zero percent crime rate.**

**An idyllic little port town with a lot to offer.**

**Come and see us in Storybrooke, Maine!**

**May 1st, 2014.**

Strange. That's the third email she's received since January, and she can never reply, either.

She thinks about it.

Then it clicks.

Storybrooke was her ticket out of San Francisco. She could leave and pay up and then start a new life. After all, she has been living this one for thirty one years, it's becoming tedious.

As she mulls over the idea in her head, a bag of shopping is dumped in front of her on her desk.

'Aidan, not on the laptop.'

'Sorry,' he grins, standing Cesca up and wrapping the girl in one of his signature bear hugs.

'You okay?' He asks, still his cheek still resting on Cesca's hair.

'I've got until the end of the week, Ade,' she whispers.

'What? I thought you said - ' he unwraps his arms from around her and still has his hands on her upper arms, a look of alarm plastered on his face.

'Yeah, well, you know Caporetto doesn't exactly have a knack of sticking to his word,' Cesca replies flatly, turning away from Aidan's arms to shut down her Mac.

'We can find a way out, Cesca, I know it.'

'No, you don't. I do.'

'What?'

'Follow me. I'm gonna show you something, but somewhere else, okay?'

'Pier 39?' He smirks at Cesca, who just rolls her eyes and starts to walk out of the station.

'The forest.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

'So, what's the deal, Francesca? You bring me out here to tell me something and it's been 20 minutes. WHAT IS THE DEAL?'

'Holy crap, Aidan, you are the most impatient person I've ever met,' Cesca says, and she's fiddling with her Mac as she sits on a bench at the end of the small pier. Nobody else is around, not even the lovebirds who sneak out to the forest at night. Well, who would be at 2 O'Clock in the morning?

She finds the email which has forwarded onto a Word Document, and turns the laptop to show Aidan, who's pacing about like there's no tomorrow.

He stops now, when he sees the screen.

'Storybrooke? Is that even a place?'

'Apparently.'

'So what? There's a place called Storybrooke. Who gives?'

'I do. Because it's my ticket out.' She closes the Mac hard.

He stares at her for a second.

'You're just going to run?'

'No. I'm going to empty out my account, pay him what he wants and leave. Never see him or San Francisco for another day.'

'Why would you leave, you love this place!' He's getting angry now. And Cesca can see he's very scared.

She stands up, exploding with anger and frustration – everything that has been negative in her life has been leading up to this moment.

'Of course I do, dammit! Of course I love this place, it gave me a second chance even though I couldn't even remember my first! But I can't stay here for the rest of my life, Aidan, I can't! I've lived here for thirty one years, Ade, that's much too long. People must be under a haze or something because they don't even see that I HAVEN'T AGED A DAY SINCE I GOT FOUND IN THAT FOREST! I look the exact same as I did in 1983, and it's tearing me apart! I don't know what's wrong with me! If people realized,' she trails off, collapsing to the ground. She's on her knees and tears are pouring out of her eyes.

Aidan looks so confused. Then he sees it. He sees the face that he first remembered when he was a child. He sees the woman who raised him when his mother was imprisoned for double murder of his brother and father. He sees the exact same face that saved his life, and has never left his life.

It's been the same face for 31 years.

How has he not seen it before?

She looks up at him, tears still pooling in her eyes to reciprocate for the ones already dripping from her cheeks.

'You're… the same,' Cesca stands up, and moves in Aidan's direction, but he steps back, utterly horrified at what's in front of him.

'Aidan, don't leave me,' she whispers. 'I'm sorry.'

'How are you the same?'

'I DON'T KNOW DAMMIT!' He flinches at her shrill voice, and she turns away now, putting a hand to her face and the other to rest on a tree.

'You're basically my mother… but you're not, you're my best friend. You're SUPPOSED TO BE MY BEST FRIEND!'

'I'm sorry, Aidan, but there's nothing I can do. I don't know how I got like this.'

'You… you could be immortal, you could live forever and I wouldn't even matter,'

He says, starting to cry like the little boy Cesca raised.

'NO.'

She strides up to him, and even gets up in his face.

'No, Aidan Smith, you will ALWAYS matter, do you hear me? You will always matter to me.' The last sentence struggles to come out.

He crumples, and falls into Cesca's arms. She struggles to hold him up, because of his height, but she manages. She breathes hard and deep, and she can't fathom what this must be like for the man she's always thought of as a son, a brother and a friend at the same time.

'I need to get out of here. It holds memories I don't want, and it holds memories that I want, but can't have. I have to leave, before my reality falls apart, Aidan, please,' she says, pulling away from him and looking him in the eye.

'I love you Aidan, but I've fallen out of love with this city.'

'And why is Storybrooke the place for you?' He says, sniffing.

'Because it's the complete opposite of what this place is.'

She pulls away completely, and walks away, leaving Aidan in her wake.

She stops, but does not turn around.

'I really love you Aidan. I promise.'

'Write me?' He manages, hoping desperately for an answer.

She does not turn around so he can see the dead look on her face.

'Yeah,' she says once. She walks back to her car, gets in it. She looks over at Aidan's car, which is still untouched. Aidan is out of sight. She reverses out of the space and drives away.

She would keep good to her promise. But she would only write him one letter before they met again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

STORYBROOKE, ONE DAY LATER

Emma's working late at the station on the night of May 2nd, 2014. The paperwork is piling up, and instead of procrastinating, it seems, facing it is the only option before it becomes completely unmanageable.

The phone rings, and she goes to answer it.

'Sheriff Swan,' she parrots, tired of talking even though she hasn't talked to anybody for the last three hours.

'Emma, where's Henry?' Mary-Margaret's losing her tact lately, Emma finds.

'He's with Regina tonight, M. You know that.'

She hears a sigh down the phone before she gets a reply.

'Well, as long as you're sure that's safe,' Mary Margaret says, in the most condescending way possible.

'God, M, come on, that was a year ago! She was desperate when tried to take him back to the Enchanted Forest. We've gotten past that now. She won't take him away again, we've saved him together. She knows what I mean to him and what she means to him. Don't start this again.'

'Fine, fine!' she replies, almost exasperated at her daughter's long winded defence of the woman.

'Well, okay. I'll see you later?' She carries on, hope in her voice.

'Don't wait up for me, Mom,' Emma says with a chuckle, and she hears Mary Margaret joining in just before she puts down the phone.

That's when she hears the car pulling up outside the Sheriff's Station.

She takes her feet down from the desk where they're leaning, and she sits forward as she listens intently to the sounds she hears next. A car door slamming. The station door being opened slowly. Footsteps down the hallway.

Then the figure appears at the door.

'Hi,' she says.

She's definitely not from town.

The stranger is wearing a navy blue shirt with a bright blue hoodie over the top of it. A black leather jacket covers it, and her jeans are dark blue. She's wearing brown leather boots on her feet. Her mousey brown hair reaches to the bottom of her shoulder-blades, and her eyes are pure blue. Emma would say she's around 23 or 24.

She snaps out of her stranger evaluation mode when she sees the woman's expectant look.

'Um, yeah! Hi,' she says much to chirpily, and she tries to calm down and carries on. 'Are you… new in town?'

'Yeah, I just arrived from San Francisco. I just need a place to crash for the night before I start… finding my own place.'

'You're gonna stay here?' Emma says, cursing herself for letting such a question out.

'Yes, that's the plan.'

'Um, okay then. Granny's is just down at the end of the street, can't miss it.'

'Thank you. You're the Sheriff, I presume?' The woman steps forward, and puts out her hand. 'D.I. Francesca Ravenclaw. Good to meet you.'

'Sheriff Emma Swan. Good to meet you too. A D.I, huh?' She shakes Cesca's hand.

'That's what I was, back in San Francisco. I don't know if I can really keep that title now.' She stuffs her hands in her back pockets

Emma knows she's acting on impulse with what she's about to say, but it seems the best way to find out more about this stranger.

'Come by tomorrow. Is around lunchtime okay? Because I need some help around here, and if you're looking to stay for more than a week, you're gonna need a job,' she says. David had signed off the Sheriff thing 8 months ago when Mary Margaret exploded, saying that having one family member in the line of fire was enough. She didn't want two family members as police.

'Sounds great. Thank you Sheriff.'

'Please, just call me Emma.'

'Hmm. I'll think about it,' Cesca chuckles. She walks out of the station, leaving Emma thinking: _what just happened?_

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

SAN FRANCISCO, EARLIER THAT DAY

'Where is she?'

The table has an open briefcase on it. A note is beside it.

_There's $15,000 in here. _

_Now leave me the hell alone. And do not harm anybody I know, or I will kill you._

Barker Caporetto is a furious man. He is known for his temper, but his wingman has never seen him angrier than right now.

'I wouldn't know sir, I –'

'Gone.'

Aidan appears at the door. He looks like death, but defiant.

'Gone where?' Barker bellows, scooting over to Aidan.

'I'm afraid I can't tell you that.'

Barker grabs Aidan by the collar of his shirt.

'Yes you can,' he whispers, his foul breath merging with Aidan's.

'No,' he says again, pushing Barker away forcefully, 'I can't.'

Barker glares at him.

'She wanted to escape you. She paid you. Leave her alone. Or as she said, she'll give you hell.'

Aidan leaves, storming out of Cesca's old apartment.

'I will find you, Ravenclaw. Count on it.'

Then Barker leaves without another word.

* * *

_**Please review!**_


	2. Meet Your New Deputy

_**Well hello my prettys! How are we all? Here's the 2**__**nd**__** Instalment of my newest Story, the Black Knight. I'm getting writer's word vomit here, so feel free to give constructive criticism in the review box! Please review, because it makes my week. I love reading them. Thank you so much for the follows so far, it's so heartening to see people actually like this story. **_

_**Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine. If you wanna beta, please PM, it would be great to have one.**_

* * *

Cesca's sleeping soundly in her car when a knock at the door wakes her abruptly. On impulse, she opens the car door and gets out, putting up her gun.

Until she sees it's only a girl in her 20s. She has auburn hair and she's wearing a blue dress, reaching down to just above her knees. Like Cesca, she's got blue eyes.

Cesca immediately lowers the gun, putting a hand to her rapidly beating heart.

'Crap, I'm sorry,' she says, taking her hand off her heart and putting it out in an apologetic gesture.

The girl chuckles, and Cesca releases a breath she didn't know she was holding.

'I'm police officer, it's kinda just force of habit.'

'Don't worry, it's... It's fine.' The smile she has disappears when she gets a good look at Cesca's face. It's almost like a look of recognition.

'Sorry... Do I... Do I know you?' Cesca asks, smiling awkwardly as she deposits her gun in the car and pulls out her blue hoodie, putting it on and zipping it up halfway.

It's like the girl's in a daydream. She snaps out of it, and smiles again.

'No. No, sorry. I'm Belle.' She thrusts out her hand, offering it to shake. Cesca does so, and she feels a sudden spark. She chooses not to snap her hand back because of it. She shakes it eagerly, taking the chance to get a good look at the girl in front of her. _Man, she's pretty._

Belle is the first to let go, and Cesca introduces herself.

'I'm Francesca. I'm uh... New in town.' She chuckles.

'Where have you come from?' Belle goes and leans against the car, and Cesca follows suit.

'San Francisco. I was running into problems there. I'll miss it though. It's the only place I can really remember. '

Belle looks confused, and Cesca smirks.

'I had amnesia... A while back.'

'Im sorry,' Belle says, offering her an apologetic smile. 'So... Have you come here to, I don't know... Get answers?'

'I gave up on that ages ago. I've just come away from California to escape, I guess.' She looks at Belle then. That's when she starts reading her.

She's strong, intelligent.  
Been through a similar situation.  
Overly happy, has suffered loss so covered it up.

'Well, you've come to the right place.' She grins eagerly, and takes her back away from the car, turning to face Cesca.

'Hey look, I would kill for a cappuccino right now. Know anywhere good?'

'I'll show you to Granny's, best coffee in Maine, trust me.'

She raises her eyebrows at Cesca, who in turn holds out her hand.

'Lead the way.'

Meanwhile, Regina is already sitting at her desk in her office.

She hasn't thought about Ramira in a while, not since just after the curse broke.

But she seems to have drifted into her mind, today of all days when the annual budget is due.

The girl she saved.

The woman who came back.

The woman who protected her until she was ripped away by fate and Snow White.

She knows it wasn't really Snow's fault though. Regina made Ramira leave the tower before her so-called execution, and she told her to leave and never come back.

Regina would put money on Ramira hating her if she saw the Queen again.

She needs to know. Was she over there? Was she a leader of the safe haven along with Mulan?

Did her mother kill her?

She dreads to think.

She picks up her mobile and punches in Snow's number.

'Hello?'

'Snow, it's Regina.'

'Hello Regina.' She sounds so unsure of herself, much like the day the struck a parley at the stables in the Enchanted Forest. Regina gets up from her chair and looks out her window.

'Look, there's something I need to discuss with you. How about I buy you breakfast?' She holds her breath while she waits for an answer.

'Of course. Thank you,' she says, and Regina sighs with relief. 'Granny's, ten minutes?'

'I'll see you there.' Regina ends the call, almost throwing down the phone onto the unusually untouched pile of paperwork.

Her relationship with Snow is getting better, she has to admit that.

She just can't get the idea of her mother ripping out her best friend's heart with her bare hands.

Snow arrives before Regina, and is nursing a cup if strong black coffee. Regina gets the weirdest sense of déjà vu as she does her best to stride into the diner confidently.

She sits down across from Snow, who smiles nonchalantly and asks Ruby for another coffee for her newfound companion.

'Okay Regina, I know you're not one for small talk, so what's wrong?' Snow asks, surprising Regina by cutting to the chase.

Regina sighs, closing her eyes and preparing herself.

'When you were in the Enchanted Forest again, just after the curse had broken... Did you see anybody you recognised aside from my mother?' She looks at Snow uncertainly, hoping for that one name she cares about.

'Well, we met Mulan and Aurora, Malificient's stepdaughter... But nobody else was recognisable. I mean, they're here now. But why do you ask?'

'Because she isn't here,' Regina whispers, tears welling in the Queen's eyes.

'She? Who -'

Snow's eyes widen when she realises who she's talking about. The younger of the two tentatively reaches out and puts her hand on Regina's forearm, which, surprisingly, doesn't grow tense and frozen at the touch, but just looks at her, a few tears escaping the brown eyes.

Snow has grown to learn that pity is not something that Regina takes well, so she just channels understanding through her eyes, nothing more.

A couple of people are starting to look this way now, and they are surprised to see Snow White comforting the Evil Queen, but alas, it's happening. And Regina certainly doesn't mind.

'Look, it could be that we just didn't run into her, because she may well still be alive,' Snow tries, hoping to quell the sadness that Regina has grown to know like an old friend.

'I doubt that. I do believe she'd have wanted words with you. You would have had a lot to talk about.'

' I guess so. But she would have asked about you...' The words die in her throat, and she is staring wide eyed and almost frightened at the door to the diner.

Regina is confused, and tries to regain Snow's attention, but the attempt is futile, and Snow only points subtly at the two people who have walked in the door.

She turns around, and if she were standing up, she would probably have collapsed on the floor.

Ramira is standing at the counter with Belle, ordering a coffee to go.

A face she hasn't seen in 31 years, yet still the same face she adored and let protect her.

She's dressed in navy jeans and a bright blue hoodie, a black leather jacket carelessly flung over her shoulder. Her mouse brown hair is tied back loosely in a ponytail, and she is talking animatedly with Belle. Ruby is looking shell shocked as she hurriedly makes the cappuccino Ramira has ordered.

Regina decides to take a chance, and she stands, preparing to go over and talk to her long lost best friend. Ruby catches her attention just in time, and shakes her head rapidly. Regina takes a step back at the gesture.

After Ruby has given her the coffee, Ramira shakes Belle's hand and she walks out of the diner.

Regina walks over in a daze to Belle, and she just stands there, tears escaping.

Belle walks Regina out of the diner, and round the back. Snow follows briskly.

'I thought she was over there,' Regina blubbers, letting tears pour out of her eyes. 'She should be over there! I told her -'

'Regina, calm down. At least you know she's alive and well,' Snow says, putting a hand around Regina's shoulder. Only she knows Ramira is the only one to make the Queen so weak in front of people like this.

Belle clears her throat, and both women's heads snap up.

'Her name isn't Ramira in this world. It's Francesca.'

'So she has been here in Storybrooke all this time? I think -' Snow tries, but fails when Belle interrupts her musings.

'No. She says she's just got here from San Francisco. She said she had amnesia, but didn't say when.'

'Amnesia? That's not how the dark curse worked.' Regina breathes.

'Well if she didn't land in Storybrooke when the dark curse hit...'

That's when it hits Regina.

Ramira - or Francesca - remembers absolutely nothing about what Regina did to her, and she was going to find out at sometime.

But before that, she could be a friend to Francesca. Build up her trust again. And when her curse broke, then there may be a chance she would forgive her, in time.

She cleaned up her face, wiping the running mascara from her eyes.

'Do you know where she's headed?'

'She says going to talk to the Sheriff.'

'Thank you, Belle. Snow, come on.'

Snow follows wordlessly, as Regina walks confidently out of the alley beside the diner, making a beeline for her car.

She goes around to the driver door, and stops when she notices Snow just standing by the passenger door, looking completely unsure.

'Get in, Snow.' Regina says it with such command and composure, as if the last five minutes hasn't just happened, that Snow gets in without another second passing by.

'Where are we going?'

'Your daughter's humble palace.'

With that, Regina sets the car into gear and drives to the station.

They arrive about five minutes later, just in time to see Francesca walking up the drive way.

Regina gets out, and Snow immediately follows suit.

The older woman goes and hides behind a tree, the door to the Sheriff's station in full view. She pokes her head around. The younger woman has followed her.

Snow crouches, and pokes her head out too.

They watch Francesca as she walks up onto the Kerb, crossing the Sheriff's parking space, and she enters the station after she's put the coffee she has just finished in the trash can next to the door.

Regina releases a sigh of relief. She slides down the tree, sitting with her back leant up against it. Snow stands, and after a couple of minutes, she starts to speak.

'What are you going to say to her, Regina? If we're going by what Belle told us earlier, then that she won't remember us.'

'Well, if she can't remember anything, she won't remember you and Emma are mother and daughter. So I think,' Regina says, getting up, and Snow offers her hand which to her surprise, Regina takes and shifts herself into a standing position, and doesn't let go with such vehemence as Snow's expecting. 'That we are going to have to improvise.'

Regina walks to the door of the Station, and Snow falls into step beside her.

They walk through the hall.

Regina stops before the reach the main office, frozen in her tracks.

Snow stops just in front of her. She doesn't try to reach out, or smile reassuringly.

She simply says: 'You can do this.'

Regina looks at her uncertainly, and Snow just nods her head.

They walk in side by side, and Regina tries to hold back a laugh at the shock on Emma's face when she sees her mother and her son's other mother together in a room without fighting.

Francesca turns around, and smiles cordially at the pair, who smile uncertainly back.

Regina is the first one to step forward.

'Who's this?' She says innocently, as if she has no idea.

'Sorry. I'm Francesca. Francesca Ravenclaw.' _How fitting_, Regina muses.

'Good to meet you. I'm Regina Mills, I'm the Mayor.'

'Meeting the supreme boss already,' Emma says, composing herself and deciding to speak.

'I guess so. Good to meet you, Madame Mayor,' she replies, shaking Regina's outstretched hand.

'Supreme boss, what does that mean?' Regina says, trying to keep a hint if a smile on her face.

'Meet my new Deputy, Regina.'

Regina's eyes widen, as do Snow's.

'Sorry, hi, I'm Emma's... sister, Mary - Margaret.'

'Sheriff, can I talk to you outside for a second?' Regina smiles at Emma.

Emma looks at Snow with the most confused look possible, and Regina walks out and leaves Emma no choice but to trail behind her.

'Listen, I should probably go. I have to sort out a couple of things back in San Francisco, people to call and whatnot.' She smiles nonchalantly.

'Okay. Well, it was nice meeting you... Francesca.'

Francesca walks out of the station, and Emma and Regina have yet to start talking when Francesca passes them.

'Thanks again, boss, I'll see you tomorrow morning,' she says, making a casual salute to the Sheriff. Emma merely chuckles and waits for her to leave the station.

'What's going on, Regina?'

'She's from our land.'

'She said she was from San Francisco -'

'She doesn't remember a thing, Emma.'

'That doesn't make sense. If she was from your land but she was outside Storybrooke, then she should know who she is. I mean, she could always be like Neal was, she might just be covering for herself.' She sits down on one of the chairs in the hallway.

Regina joins her, her composure wavering.

'No, she would have reacted to seeing me. Not a normal reaction, something subtle would have passed through her. I would have seen it, just for a second,' Regina says, quite vehemently.

'Okay, sorry.'

'Yes.'

'So, if she doesn't remember, what do we do?'

'As much as I don't want her to remember... Our past, we have to try and find a way to break her curse. She needs to know who she is.'

'Yeah, I guess so. But we broke the dark curse with true love kiss, me and Henry. Does Francesca have a true love?'

'Ramira. Ramira's her name.' She says defensively, before turning away as tears start to form.

'Cut the crappy attitude, Regina, how the hell was I supposed to know?'

'You weren't, Emma, but this is hard for Regina, okay?' Snow joins the pair, but chooses not to sit down.

'Snow, I don't need -' Regina starts, snappiness laced in her voice.

'No, Regina. I am telling my daughter why for once in her life, I think she needs to give you a break, because I know what this means to you. Just accept help.' Snow says, in the most authoritative voice she can muster.

Regina looks up at Snow, a hint of an apologetic smile passing across her face before it drifts away again. Snow nods, and then makes her way out of the station. Emma and Regina sit side by side for a while, and Emma mulls over the situation. Her mother's right, Regina can't catch a break. Maybe she needs... Help. Someone who was willing to help her get her friend back. Well, that's what she assumes Ramira was to her.

'She'll hate me,' Regina whispers into nothingness. Emma hears, but doesn't reply.

'Regina, I can help you, if you want,' Emma tries.

'By doing what?'

'We can look for ways to break this curse.'

Regina looks up at Emma, who has now stood up. 'And why would you want to help me?'

Emma smiles sadly.

'Because you need it. This isn't about repaying debts. This about you needing help, and me giving it to you because I want to. I'm not heartless, Regina. I can see that she means so much to you. So. Do you wanna break your friend's curse?'

Regina stays silent. Emma sits down again, closer to the body next to her. She looks directly at Regina's, which right now is shielded by her hair.

'Look at me, Regina.'

Emma goes for something which she believes may get her attention. She grabs the free left hand, noticing the ring on her third finger. Daniel's ring.

Regina tenses slightly at the touch, and looks at Emma with slight shock on her face.

'I know that you think she'll hate you. It's written all over your face. But this is her life we're talking about. She doesn't even know who she really is, and trust me, I know that's not a good feeling.' She squeezes Regina's hand, and she swears that she feels the slightest squeeze in reciprocation.

'I can see this hurts,' she carries on. 'But you have to tell her at some point. But build up her trust, in the meantime. It may take a while to break her curse, considering I took almost eight months to break yours. So get your friend back,' she finishes. She lets go of Regina's hand, and stands, starting to saunter back to her office.

She stops just before she turns a corner.

'Was she just a friend?'

'She was so much more,' Regina replies, before standing up herself and leaving. Emma watches her go. She sighs deeply, and goes back to her paperwork.

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

_It was ten years since she had been in that kingdom. And now she was standing almost right outside. Well, sitting on a horse._

_'We have to get through this piece of forest, and then we'll be in,' The Huntsman said. She liked her new-found companion. He always got to the point. She could see why, because it was clear after her he was going to try and sever all human contact. The wolf followed him everywhere._

_'How dangerous are we talking?'_

_'Very. There's quicksand in some places, and you might want to watch out, the chimera are pretty bloodthirsty._

_'Got it.'_

_'GO!'_

_They galloped through the forest, and she was sure a chimera was already on her tail. She kicked her horse again and his gallop got even faster._

_'Come on, Sergio, keep going,' she shouted, leaning forward over the horse's neck._

_In a couple of minutes, she had reached the open clearing, the light dirt track completely visible before her._

_She looked around for the Huntsman's horse, but she didn't see it._

_'Down here,' he said, appearing next to Ramira's own horse._

_She jumped down from Sergio, and stood next to him. She looked around again._

_'Where's your horse?' She asked, confused._

_He nodded at the dirt track, where his white horse was standing, content._

_'He's not mine, I just hitched a ride,' he said._

_'I must go, I've got to find food for him,' he carried on, nodding at the ever present wolf beside him._

_'Thank you. For everything.' She held out a hand for him to shake._

_He took her forearm, and put them in the arm-lock which signified brotherhood._

_Then, he let go, and ran into the forest to the left of them._

_She sighed, glancing over at the white horse the Huntsman had left behind._

_'Well, I better find a place for you two to sleep,' she said, and got up on Sergio, and clicked for the other one to gallop behind them._

_'Okay, Queen Regina. Time to pay you my debt.'_

_~~~~~~()~~~~~~_

_2 weeks later_

_She got off her horse just before reaching the grounds near the castle, where a market seemed to be going._

_She dropped both horses at a stable just outside the grounds, then walked through the crowds alone._

_She looked on the stalls. Vegetables, toys, pottery. Then one she wasn't so happy with._

_'Shoot the Queen through the heart, only a penny!'_

_People were lining up like idiots for it._

_'How long's this been up?' Ramira asked the man at the stall, in a voice laced with disdain._

_'Had its debut just last week. Was funny actually, we got a madwoman protecting it, saying she was the Queen. The guards were gonna execute her but then -'_

_'I'm not interested,' she snarled, with such finality the man cowered into his stall._

_She walked through the market and reached the drawbridge to the castle. She walked over it and into the castle, through to the court._

_'Court's closed today, girl.' A guard had come to stop her from entering._

_'I need to see the Queen. It's urgent. Please.'_

_'I will go up and ask her.'_

_'Thank you.'_

_She waited._

_Meanwhile, in her drawing room, Regina was reclining in the sofa._

_'You have a visitor, Your Majesty.'_

_'Do I look like I want visitors, Claude?'_

_'She says it's urgent.'_

_Regina's brows furrowed. She never had female visitors._

_She nods, once._

_A couple of minutes later, the visitor is standing in the entrance._

_She gets up, and looks over her visitor._

_'What do you want?'_

_'I merely wish to pay you my debts, Your Grace,' she said, bowing slightly._

_'Who gave you the right to call me that?'_

_'You did,' she said. Regina snapped her head up, and sneered._

_'You've changed,' the woman murmured._

_'Excuse me?'_

_'You're not the woman who saved me anymore, most definitely not. I can see the dark magic inside you.'_

_'Look, what the hell-'. Her words died in her mouth._

_She looked at what the woman was holding out to her._

_It was the pouch she gave the girl on her wedding day._

_She looked at it almost in fear._

_She saw the Mills Crest on it. It reminded her of her mother._

_She dragged her eyes to the girl holding it._

_She smiled, and then Regina instantly recognised her. Ramira._

_'Ramira?'_

_'Who else, your Grace?'_

_Regina broke out into a teary smile, her walls long knocked down._

_'You kept your promise. Nobody ever keeps their promise to me,' she said, tears falling from her brown eyes._

_'You certainly have suffered during my absence haven't you?' Ramira said, stepping a little closer to the Queen._

_'I had suffered before I met you dear,' she said immediately, turning away and sitting in front of her mirror._

_'I saw that in your eyes, but the changes you've gone through in these past ten years have been much, much darker.'_

_'You could say that. But you don't know me.' Regina turned to look at her, trying but failing to give her most severe stare._

_'You're right. I don't. Not really. But I read people. It's what I've learned to do. However, my debt is paid. I shall take my leave now. Goodbye your Grace.'_

_Ramira turned to leave, fearing a fireball would hit her as she walked. But at the same time, she knew it wouldn't happen._

_'Ramira wait!'_

_She stopped in her tracks and turned around, her head cocked as the skeptical look crossed her face._

_'I'm sorry. It's not your fault you can see right through me. '_

_'No, you're not transparent, your Grace. I'm just practiced in reading others.'_

_Regina sighed, a deep breath leaving her lungs._

_'You were a naive little girl when I met you. Now you're standing in front of me in leathers, a sword strapped to your belt and a dagger inside your boot. You've lost your spark.'_

_'Everyone does when they grow up.'_

_'Some lose it after that.'_

_'Like yourself?'_

_'I didn't say that.'_

_'You implied so.' Ramira was insufferable. But the Queen had never had anyone challenge her before. 'Everyone loses their spark. But instead of that,' she carries on, stepping towards the Queen, who had stood up. Their faces were inches away. 'They develop a fire.'_

_Regina smiled evilly, purple fire glazing her irises. Ramira wore a small smirk._

_'I looked up to you for so long. I always have. I'm always trying to be good for people.'_

_'And where does it get you?'_

_'Oh, it gets me everywhere.'_

_'Not everywhere. You haven't tried dark magic, dear.'_

_'True love transcends realms.'_

_'My true love was killed by dark magic.'_

_Ramira's smirk disappeared, but Regina's evil smirk still remained._

_'My mother, Rumplestiltskin's best student, ripped my love's heart out, and crushed it in her hand while I watched. Does true love sound more powerful to you?'_

_Ramira's face was serious. 'It is. You just haven't found your true love yet.'_

_Regina tensed at that. 'And how the hell would you know?'_

_'Because when I meet mine, I'll be able to protect them. You weren't able to protect him.'_

_'I didn't have magic.'_

'_Your magic would have protected him, ultimately. True love doesn't die, not just like that.'_

'_HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!'_

'_Because I look into your eyes and I can see that you loved him but you weren't in love with him,' Ramira says with finality._

'_You think you know so much about the world, don't you? How old are you, 21, 22, maybe? Well let me tell you something, Ramira,' she sneered the girl's name. 'You don't.' _

'_I had to grow up a lot faster than you think.' _

_Regina's face softened at that. She saw the unbelievable pain in the girl's eyes. This girl hadn't had the chance to grow up._

_She just didn't know how literal she meant it._

'_Stay here tonight,' Regina said._

'_What? Your Grace, I really couldn't impose,' Ramira instantly replied, reminding Regina of the little girl who had been so formal in the forest. _

'_I insist.' She put on a winning smile. This was extremely unlike her, but she felt she it was the best thing. _

_Ramira simply smiled. If she was honest, this was not the reunion that she'd planned. !But it was still a reunion. A reunion after the first three years of their separation, she thought she'd never have. _

'_Alicia?'_

'_Yes, your Majesty?'_

'_Put Ramira up for the night in one of the guest rooms. In the meantime, Ramira, freshen up. But I think we have things to discuss. A walk in the courtyard, maybe?'_

'_I think that would be a good idea, Your Grace.'_

* * *

_**Please review!**_


	3. Hit, Run and Duel

_**Hello my friends, here's Chapter Tres. This one's a bit shorter as I've been having exams and stuff, and as always, unbeta'd so mistakes are all my own. Hope you enjoy, and please follow and review. It means a lot to me.**_

* * *

'Not a chance, boss.'

'Come on, you have to, it's the rules here!' Emma says to her new Deputy, who is currently holding up the grey shirt and tie she almost had to wear like it's a full diaper. Cesca pointedly looks at Emma's attire, which is a burgundy cowl neck, tight navy jeans, knee high boots and a black pea coat.

'Evidently,' she says back, a fake smile and a glare being thrown Emma's way.

'Look, I will wear the badge, no problem, and I'll throw on something a little smarter. But the tie? I'm not dressing like a man. Sorry, boss.'

'You're not gonna stop calling me that are you?'

'Nope.' A shit-eating grin is plastered to Cesca's face.

Emma throws her hands up in the air and then plonks the paperwork she's holding down on the desk. She goes through to her office and picks up her old Deputy Badge. She turns around, and Cesca is checking over the payroll form she's just filled out. Emma's eyes narrow thoughtfully. She looks at the badge, and then throws it at Cesca like a baseball.

To Emma's disdain and surprise, Cesca catches it without even looking up from the form.

'Thank you, boss. Right, I'm going back to uh… Granny's, to put something else on, and then I'll be right back. First day and all that jazz,' she says, smiling up at Emma, who is completely bewildered.

'You're very English.'

'That's because I probably am.'

'Probably?'

'I can't remember the first 21 years of my life, so yes,' she says, picking up her bag and smiling again. 'Probably.' She walks quickly and Emma watches her go. She sighs deeply, knowing that she wasn't English at all. Does the Enchanted Forest have a nationality? Emma doesn't even want to think about it. So much for being American.

Cesca's pushes the door at the entrance to the station open to leave, and is caught out by a young boy.

'Whoa, leave the door open!' he exclaims, smiling at Cesca and then looking at her in confusion. He barrels into her accidentally in his haste to see his Ma.

'Easy there, bruiser,' Cesca says, pulling up from where he's fallen. He wipes himself off.

'I uh, I haven't seen you around here before. Who're you?' The boy looked up at her, his face squinting in confusion and because of the rare Storybrooke sunlight.

'Nice, kiddo.'

'Sorry.'

'It's okay. I'm Cesca. And you are?'

'I'm Henry. Emma and Regina's son.' He smiles at her, and she responds with a look, eyes wide.

'The Mayor and The Sheriff have a son together?' She says incredulously.

'Yeah. Well, not together; Regina's my adoptive Mom, Emma's my biological Mom. It was a closed adoption, but I kinda ruined that,' he says, giggling fondly.

'I'm not gonna ask any more. But hey, I'll probably see you round, bud,' she says, winking at the boy and turning to walk to her car.

'I will?'

'Well, most likely. I am your Mother's new Deputy.' She smiles at him again and gets in her car, pushing the clutch and driving out of the car park.

He runs into Emma's office.

'You hired an outsider as your Deputy, are you freaking kidding me?' Henry says, his voice getting higher pitched with every word. Emma smiles at him easily, but then putting on a stern look.

'Henry,' she scolds slightly. 'Okay, kid. Can you keep a secret?'

'You know I can.'

'She's a… fairytale character.' Henry looks at her with eyes bulging out of his skull.

'She's not in my book.'

'I think you'll find she is, Henry,' Regina says, walking into the Sheriff's office.

'Regina, hi,' Emma says, smiling slightly at the latest arrival. Regina smiles back, holding up two takeaway cups from Granny's.

'I thought you may want this,' she says, giving one cup to Emma, who sniffs it and then takes a large sip.

'Ooh, extra shot, thanks,' Emma asserts, taking another sip. Regina smiles into her gulp of coffee, raising her eyebrows fleetingly as a 'You're welcome' gesture.

Henry gets his book out amidst the coffee and thanks, and sets it on Emma's desk, flicking through the pages.

'I've read this like, a thousand times, she isn't in here,' he affirms, looking up at Regina for an answer.

Regina puts her coffee down on the table, kneeling down so she could be at his level. Emma sits on her chair, and leans over the table to see the book. Regina flicks through the pages, and then finds what she's looking for.

'See, Henry, this is proof you're an intelligent boy,' she declares happily. 'You don't look at the pictures, you read the words.'

She points at the picture of Regina on horseback on the battlefield, with her army. She moves her finger over to the right, and stops it over the picture of her right hand man.

Or right hand woman.

'That,' Regina starts, 'is Ramira. She was a very important person to me. She still is. But something, I don't know what, happened to her when I cast the curse. She didn't come to Storybrooke, and it appears from what your mother and I have seen already that she wasn't given a back-story either. She didn't remember anything.'

'Right, so, how is she in Storybrooke now?' Henry asks, looking at Regina, then to Emma, whose mouth goes down in an exaggerated frown with a shrug of her shoulders, and then back to Regina, who smiles once.

'She just drove here, out of the blue,' Regina says. 'No warning, she just showed up at the station last night.'

'She talked to me for a while, asked for a place to stay,' Emma said, getting up from her chair and going to answer the phone in the next room. 'She told she was a Detective where she lived, and well, here we are,' Emma finishes, shrugging again at her son before picking up the phone.

'So, our missing knight has just showed up in Storybrooke, with no memories,' Henry recites. His lips turn upward in a devious smile.

'Oh God,' Emma says, putting down the phone.

'What?' Regina replies immediately, turning and walking over to the Sheriff.

'Well, one, we have a problem; Whale and Leroy got into a fight at the Rabbit Hole,' Emma begins, rolling her eyes at Regina who gives her a knowing look. Henry snickers at the silent interaction between his mothers.

'And second, he's going into Operation mode,' Emma states, pointing at Henry. With that, she walks briskly out of the entrance, grabbing her coat and coffee from the table. 'Have fun with that, Regina. Thanks for the coffee, see you later,' she says hurriedly, tossing the thank you over her shoulder.

Regina rounds on Henry giving him a questioning look. 'Operation mode?'

Henry smiles uneasily. 'I kinda had an 'Operation' thing with Emma when we were trying to break the curse.'

'Operation Cobra,' Regina asserts, nodding her head slowly. 'Snow told me about your little stint with that.'

'Well, Mom, we have a curse to break here, we gotta come up with a new name!'

'Henry,' Regina says tiredly.

'Seriously! It worked last time, right?'

'Yes, but not before I accidentally put you under a sleeping curse,' Regina quips, looking down at her Jimmy Choos.

'I did an Operation with Emma already,' Henry says, pulling his backpack from his shoulders. 'I wanna do one with you.' He pulls out two walkie talkies, and holds one in front of his mother. 'Please?'

'As long as I can name it,' Regina says with a cheeky smile. Henry smiles brightly and gives Regina the walkie, pulling his mother into a hug. Regina kisses his hair, before letting go and studying the walkie talkie.

'Well, Mr Mills,' Regina says, making Henry giggle, 'I guess Operation Black Knight is a go.'

'You're way better at picking names than Emma,' Henry affirms. He's about to go when Regina stops him.

'Henry, how do you fancy going to the park?'

'I'd love to,' Henry says, smiling broadly.

'Tell you what,' Regina starts, 'I'll go change and get your two swords from home,' she says, getting her purse and hiking it over her shoulder, 'and we can go swordfight in the park. How does that sound?'

Henry falters. 'Can you swordfight?'

'On the contrary to what some may believe, I'm a rather practiced swordswoman. Somebody taught me long ago.' She smirks at her son, and she puts her hand on his back to usher them both out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cesca gets out of her car, which is parked across from Granny's diner. She leans on it, looking at her phone, which as of now has no messages, no phone calls. She won't have any unless it's for work anymore.

She gets the gun from the backseat of the car and puts it in the holster on her belt, along with the badge Emma gave her and the cuffs that she still had from San Francisco. She's dressed in a white shirt and a burgundy blazer, navy skinny jeans and the same brown knee high boots she wore yesterday. She has put her hair up in a ponytail, her hair a little puffed up at the front to give it more body.

Aidan hasn't called. She hates herself for leaving him there, but she just can't think about him right now.

She sees the Mayor, Regina, about to cross the street.

She also notices the car speeding down the road at what looks to be over 80mph.

'Regina!'

She runs at full speed and barrels purposefully into Regina, knocking them both on the hard concrete before the car goes speeding past them. It doesn't stop, and Cesca gets up immediately, pulling out her gun and firing two shots.

She goes back to Regina, who is dressed in jeans and a grey t-shirt, a black coat covering the ensemble, with ankle boots. Cesca re-holsters her gun and gently pulls Regina up by her arms.

'Are you alright?'

'I think so,' Regina replies, dusting off her jeans and picking up the long thin bag she was carrying. 'What did you shoot at him for? It was an accident,' Regina says, confused.

'That was no accident, he wasn't planning on stopping,' Cesca replies, getting her phone out of her pocket and punching in Emma's contact. She puts her phone to her ear, glancing back at Regina again. 'I shot his tires, so he's not going anywhere.'

Cesca looks back at the now stationery car. It is smoking slightly from the burst tires, but apart from that, the car isn't out of shape.

'Hello, Emma?' Cesca says down the phone. 'Yeah, we just got an attempted hit and run over at Granny's. Looks like someone's got it out for Regina,' she recounts, looking at Regina seriously. _Almost everyone's got it out for me, _Regina muses.

'Okay.' She takes her phone away from her ear, snapping it shut. 'Mind if I join you on your travels, Madame Mayor?' Cesca asks, looking at Regina before jogging over to the car. Regina follows quickly, but stops just before the car, unsure of what she may encounter. Cesca notices she's unsettled, and smiles at her with understanding.

'Hey, it's alright. I've got your back, Mayor Mills.' Regina smiles through unshed tears and Cesca looks at her once more before opening the driver door and getting out her gun.

'Okay sir, I'm gonna need you to step out the car for me,' she says authoritatively. He does so slowly, and as soon as he's out of the car, he sees Regina and starts to stalk over to her. Cesca anticipates the move, drops her gun and grabs the back of his collar.

'Head on the bonnet now, mate!' she orders, much louder this time, forcing him to lean his head against the front of the car. She pulls out her cuffs and puts them on his hands around his back. At that convenient moment, Emma turns up.

'Here's your hit and runner, boss,' Cesca says with a deadpan look, still struggling to keep him from barrelling at Regina, who is now in tears, terrified.

'Thanks, Cesca,' she says, before noticing Regina's position.

'Hey, are you okay?' Emma says, putting her hand at the back of Regina's neck. She's looking down, so Emma leans her face down a little, and she can see Regina's struggling to hold back tears.

'Hey, shh, you're gonna be okay,' she says, squeezing the back of Regina's neck. She looks up again, so Emma can stop craning her neck. She feels utterly exposed, but then she looks upon the man who has tried to run her over.

Moe French.

Emma gives Regina one last squeeze behind her neck and then takes Moe off Cesca to the cruiser car.

Before she leaves with Moe, she looks to Cesca once more, speaking to her in a hushed tone. 'Do not let her out of your sight okay?'

'Wouldn't dream of it,' Cesca replies, going over to Regina and gently touching her upper arm.

'What do I do with the car, boss?'

'Just leave it, not many people drive down here anyway,' Emma threw back, shoving Moe in the back seat of the cruiser.

They watch the Sheriff drive off with Moe in the back. Regina is trying desperately to hold back her tears, because she knows she can't collapse into Cesca's arms like she really wants to.

'As I was saying, Mayor Mills, mind if I join you on your travels?' Cesca asks in a more gentle tone than normal.

'Uh,' Regina sniffs once, wiping at her eyes frantically. Cesca hands her a tissue. 'No, I guess not,' she gets out eventually, wiping her nose with the tissue in a most ineloquent fashion, much unlike herself.

'Well, that's good, because you don't have a choice,' she says laughing slightly. Regina looks at her in confusion.

'Sheriff Swan asked me to look out for you. I won't be a burden; I'm just here to make sure you're safe for now.'

Regina smiles brightly at the sentiment, eyes shining again with tears. She is surprised at the fact that Cesca's gentleness is not the only reason for her happiness on the subject, but also Emma's intent behind it. She didn't think the Sheriff would be so thoughtful on her account. She smiles at the thought again. Cesca briefly goes to the vehicle to take the keys out.

'Well, I was about to go and meet my son at the park,' she says.

'Let's go to the park then,' she says, smiling. They walk side by side in the direction of the green near the docks.

'Your son; Henry, am I right?'

'Um, yes, how did you know?' Regina asks, smiling at Cesca with squinting eyes. The sun really was out today.

'I ran into him outside the station. He's a plucky one; I'll give you that,' Cesca says, laughing lightly at the memory of Henry's blunt questions.

'That he is. A clever boy, though.'

'That for him?' Cesca points at the bag Regina's clutching to for dear life.

Regina pulls down the top of the bag, to reveal two wooden swords.

'He's intent on becoming a knight,' Regina quips, laughing along with Cesca's easy chuckle.

'So uh, do you know Belle, at all?' Cesca asks nervously, looking over at Regina.

'I do, why?'

'What does she do?'

'She's the librarian, actually.'

'Oh. Nice,' Cesca says, looking down at her boots.

'Why do you ask?'

'I don't know, I met her earlier, and she seemed… kind of nice,' Cesca suggests.

'She's with someone, Francesca.' Regina looks at Cesca with a sympathetic smile.

'Oh,' she says, her face falling.

'Sorry,' Regina ventures.

'Oh, god, no don't be,' she replies immediately. 'It's far too early to be thinking like that.'

'Can't help ourselves but think sometimes though, can we?' She says, looking at Cesca with a knowing expression.

'No, I guess we can't. Sorry, are you alright with the whole –'

'Of course, I am, Francesca, it's honestly fine. Person not the gender. I know where you're coming from.'

Cesca looks at Regina then, a smile plastered onto her face.

'What?'

'Nobody's ever accepted it so easily before.'

She and Regina share an intriguing look.

Henry bounds over to them when he sees them at the edge of the green where they've ended up.

'Hey Mom! Wow, you're dressed funny,' Henry quips, and Regina gives him a light smack on the arm.

'Watch it Mister,' Regina fires. She smiles and takes the swords out of the bag, passing one to Henry. She looks at Cesca, smiling deviously. Cesca does the same and steps right out of the way.

'Hey Cesca!' Henry greets the woman with a big smile, and she smiles back.

Suddenly, Henry is on the floor, pinned down by his adoptive mother, a sword to his neck.

'Hey!'

'Rule one: Always be aware of your enemy,' Regina says, glancing at Cesca who gives her an impressed smirk.

The two sword fight for almost half an hour, while Cesca cheers them both on, laughing when one makes a fool out of the other.

Cesca likes this place already.

* * *

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	4. Nutmeg on your Cocoa?

_**Hi everyone, sorry I've been away – exams have been ripping me away from writing. I hope you're all okay – and that you enjoy this chapter. Please review! Also, I need your help... read on to the end of the chapter to find out what it is!**_

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'_Will this suffice, dear?' _

_Regina looked back at Ramira, who was still standing in the entrance of the bedchamber. She still couldn't believe the size of the so-called guest room. _

'_Suffice? This is more than I've ever been offered in my whole life.'_

_Regina tensed at that. She knew that Ramira had never been the most fortunate of people, but the fact that she'd never had anything close to this was almost heartbreaking. _Almost.

'_Well, enjoy it, dear. You deserve it. Considering your state when you arrived, it looks like you'd had quite the journey. Join me in the courtyard?'_

'_Of course, your grace.' _

_Now dressed in leather trousers, a shirt and a cotton waistcoat, Ramira opened the door to the courtyard for the queen. Regina walked through it smoothly, and nodded to the girl. She followed her out, and they set foot in the courtyard, almost dawdling on the paved path. It would have been dawdling if the queen wasn't so graceful. _

'_So, Ramira… what happened after you left the kingdom?'_

'_Well… I ran. I ran a long way away. But I got caught by King George. I escaped… at a price.'_

'_A price?'_

'_A story for another time, your Grace.' _

_They stopped beside the Queen's elegant apple tree. Ramira surveyed it for a minute, taking in the beauty of the tree. _

'_May I, your majesty?' _

'_Of course.' _

_Ramira plucked an apple from the tree, taking it in her hands and looking at it. She rolled in around in her palms. _

'_The Honeycrisp Apple is the most delicious of all apples. The tree it grows on can survive even the harshest of winters – it can weather any storm.' Regina said this after taking the apple from Ramira gently, looking at the fruit herself. _

'_I've tended to this tree since I was a little girl. I had it brought here to the castle – it's the only thing from home I cherish.'_

'_Your parents? Don't you cherish them?' _

_Regina stiffened. She hadn't thought about her parents for a long while._

'_My father… he's being kept away from me. And my mother? Well, she's far, far away now. I never have to worry about her again.' _

'_Your relationship is complicated, I assume.'_

'_Your assumption is correct. Although we're going off the subject. What did you do?'_

'_With your gold, I bought a horse, and a sword, along with a dagger. Not to mention some decent food,' Ramira said. 'But mostly, I did not spend it. I saved it and recovered what I'd spent, finding work in a stable on the outer reaches of Midas' kingdom…on the coast? Near Agrabah?' _

'_You really escaped, didn't you,' Regina breathed, looking into the girl's bright blue eyes. She could see flecks of green in them as well, and even some brown spots. _

_The girl looked away from the Queen's intense stare, going to sit on the bench behind the apple tree. It looked out on the land before them, the one Regina now ruled all for herself. _

'_I had to get away from my father. What he showed me was nothing but bitterness and blame.'_

'_Blame for what?' Regina joined her on the bench, smoothing out her dress when she sat down. _

'_He blamed me for the death of my mother and brothers.' _

'_Were you to blame?'_

'_Partly, yes. But that's part of the story for another time,' Ramira concluded definitively, looking out at the lake in the very far distance. It wasn't a week ago that she had passed that lake to return to Regina's kingdom. _

'_You didn't have to come back. You could have stayed in Midas' kingdom; you would have been safe there.' _

'_I owed you a debt. It is not wise to leave a debt to the Queen unpaid.'_

'_You, my dear, are a very smart young woman.' _

_A sly smile Regina had seen before returned to the younger woman's face, as she turned to look at the Queen. The Queen returned the exact same smile. _

'_I like to think I've adopted some streetsmarts over the years. Travelling and fending for oneself tends to give you those qualities.' Ramira smiled at the Queen nonchalantly. _

'_There's something I'd like to do for you, if I may, your Grace.' Ramira stood up, holding out her hand so that the Queen could stand herself. They started to saunter over to the large courtyard doors again._

'_I was passing through the stalls near the drawbridge earlier and I saw one that was… rather disturbing,' Ramira said, and immediately, Regina's eyes flared with anger. She remembered the incident well, as Rivers nearly beheaded her in her own castle grounds. And of course, who was her saviour? Snow White… Snow… bloody White._

'_Yes, I have come across it. I'd rather wait to act on it though.'_

'_Why, your Grace? If I may… I'd like to dispose of it for you. It wouldn't be a burden,' Ramira replied. 'I would do it as repayment for your kind services and for your letting me stay here tonight, not to mention in such a lavish guest room.'_

_Regina looked at her once then caved. 'Alright. But you take three of my most trusted guards with you. Claude, William and Isaac will be right behind you if anybody gets… unruly.' She motions at the guards to join her, and she speaks to them hurriedly and in a hushed tone. Ramira, seemingly, could not hear a word. _

'_Once she's disbanded the stall, you know what to do. Show no mercy.' She turned away from them and smiled at Ramira, who was looking at her with one cocked eyebrow. _

'_Your guards won't be killing anyone, Your Majesty,' Ramira declared drily, her cocked eyebrow disappearing and a hard look in her eyes. 'We'll burn the stall, take the perpetrator to the stocks, leave him there for a little bit of weekend entertainment,' she drawled, 'and be done with it. That way, your people can't blame you for any harm that comes to him. That's on the people who decide to hurl things at his head.' Once she'd finished, Ramira smiled humourlessly, one that could only be described as a 'fuck you' smile, and stood her ground. She knew the Queen had a temper, because she'd sure heard about it. She'd heard about the village massacre. However, she hadn't heard why she did it. She thought to herself that maybe one day, she'd ask her. _

_Much to her absolute astonishment, the Queen simply smiled slyly, and nodded once. The guards left, going to take out some torches to do away with the stall, and the Queen was about to pass Ramira when she stopped just by her ear, and took hold of her left shoulder, squeezing it tightly. _

'_You do know what you're doing, don't you?' _

'_I'd like to think so, Your Majesty.' _

'_Back to your Majesty now, our we?' _

'_Missing our less formal title, our we?' _

'_You're risking quite a bit, defying me like that.'_

'_I'd rather people didn't hate you, even if that means you hate me.' _

_Regina leaned closer to Ramira's ear, her lips so very close to touching the skin. _

'_You're the most infuriating person I've ever met, Ramira. But you know exactly how to play your hand, and that's what I love about you.'_

_Ramira let out a breathy laugh._

'_Be careful; one day your defiance may get you killed,' Regina said, her voice dipping into a low, almost seductive tone._

'_Oh, my dearest Queen,' Ramira said, chuckling darkly before turning around. Regina's hand lingered on her shoulder for a little bit too long, before dropping to her side. Ramira looked into the Queen's dark, brown eyes, which were flaring with slight anger and furious curiosity. 'Don't you think I know that?' _

_And with that last remark, Ramira bowed her head slightly. She walked away, swiping the dark red cloak Regina had provided for her off the chair just inside the doorway. She walked through the castle to the drawbridge, and the guards followed her as she glided over the walkway and into the castle grounds. _

_Regina could only laugh humourlessly, and remain astonished that someone so… unimportant could intrigue and infuriate her quite so easily._

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Miss Swan, did you really need to get Ra- Francesca to guard me all afternoon?'

Emma smiles down the phone at the Mayor's frustration. She's missed moments of banter like this one. 'It's just to make sure nobody else comes after you, Regina. Okay? I'm doing this for your own safety.'

'I know, Sheriff, but _her? _You know how hard it is for me to look at her,' Regina snaps back, her voice a little more hushed. Francesca, after all, is only down the hall in the huge mansion, and Henry is out like a light on the couch, after an hour of solid sword-fighting.

'I didn't have another choice, Regina. Please, just go with it. I know this is hard for you. I'll call her back over in another two hours. Then, I'll leave you to it. Henry can stay with you again tonight; nobody would try anything when he's there.'

'Oh, so he's your bargaining chip for me?' Regina sneers, unable to bite back such a remark.

'No, Regina that's not what I meant,' Emma says, her own frustration beginning to catch up with her. 'I just think that if Henry's with you, people will mellow out a bit. They hurt you, they hurt him. It's a simple fact in this town, and you know that better than anyone,' she finishes. She's walking down to Granny's to buy dinner for her parents, her mother having said that 'she couldn't be arsed to cook tonight'. Such language is something she's never experienced from her best friend–turned-mother.

'Fine,' Regina snips, and Emma can just picture the scrunched up fury on the Mayor's face. She chuckles inside her head. 'Did Maurice say why?'

'You did imprison his daughter for 28 years, I would imagine that's why,' Emma quips, but the only thing she hears is the low growl coming from the older woman's throat. 'Sorry, but it's true. It doesn't excuse the guy's actions, but it is true.'

At the other end of the line, the Mayor straightens and clears her throat. 'I suppose so.'

'Sorry, Regina. I am. Nobody deserves what he tried to do to you. I'll call Cesca back in two hours, I promise.' Her voice softens.

Emma hears Regina's long-winded sigh at the end of the line.

'Thank you,' Regina says weakly, her voice cracking just a tiny bit. Nobody would notice it. Emma does, of course.

When Emma hears the dial tone on her old Motorola flip phone, she closes it and puts it on her belt, which is just covered by her black pea coat.

She's never seen Regina so vulnerable. This past year, since they got back from Neverland and dealt with the Home Office, Regina has seemed to perk up. She's been extremely civil to the whole town, and even ventured to be friendly with Snow. She and Emma have started to get on better, their threats becoming the object of banter, completely empty. Henry stays at Regina's for 3 nights and at Emma's for 4. Recently, Emma has even suggested that Henry goes to Regina's for 4 instead; it's clear, even though Henry tries to hide it, that he misses being at home in the Mayor's mansion. And what's more, Regina misses having Henry in the mansion. Emma has always been able to see why; it's a big, lonely place when there's only one person in it.

There were times when Mary-Margaret's apartment just got so crowded that she wanted to be anywhere but there. Those times, she had gone to Regina's. She had normally taken Henry with her, requesting that he stay the night, and they hang out there for a bit. There was one time Emma had gone alone, leaving Henry asleep in her bed at the apartment. She had asked Regina if she could come in. Talk. Just for a little while. Unbelievably, Regina had accepted the request, stepping out of the doorway and inviting her in. They did talk. They talked about Henry, mostly. Then they moved on to Snow. And Cora. Cora was the worst to talk about – her death was still a raw wound in Regina's already scarred heart. But throughout the whole conversation, she remained civil. It really showed that she was moving on. She did let her guard down that night – but she has never seen her as vulnerable as this.

And it's all because of Francesca.

There is obviously a very elaborate past between the two women, and Regina's sure as hell not going to give it up this early.

Meanwhile, when the phone call ends, Regina walks back into the den in her home, where Francesca is sitting forward, her brows furrowed as if she's deep in thought. As soon as Regina puts down the cup of hot cocoa she's made her, Cesca snaps out of her thought processes, looking at Regina and smiling gratefully. She takes the cocoa, taking a sip before humming in satisfaction.

'Now I'm in no way saying,' Cesca starts, looking over at Regina, who is sitting back on the sofa leaning her elbow on the arm, 'that this is bad, because it's not – it's heaven. But you know what it could use? Just a teensy bit?' She scrunches her face up, and Regina can't help but smile a little.

'What?' she asks, with a hint of playfulness in her voice.

'Just a sprinkle of nutmeg.'

It strikes Regina then that she thinks about the way that Emma and Henry have cinnamon on their hot chocolates.

'Well you're in luck.'

She walks briskly to the kitchen, and Francesca follows, her hot chocolate being carefully transported in her hand. She puts it down as she sees Regina looking on her spice rack – yes, Regina has a spice rack. _What is there to life if not good food?_ Regina thinks.

She takes out a small bottle from the rack, and takes the lid off, sprinkling its fine powdered contents on the creamed cocoa. Regina pours herself a glass of water. Cesca picks up her cocoa, and holds it out to Regina. They clink their mug and glass together, smiling at each other before each taking a sip.

She raises her mug again for a second, before saying, 'Perfect.' A cheeky smile passes across Cesca's face as she takes sip after sip, savouring the taste. Regina just smiles behind her glass of water, but instead, she is savouring the time she gets to spend with her long lost best friend. Her only true friend from her past. To her, right now, it doesn't matter if she doesn't know who she is. She's there. That's what counts for Regina.

'So… you were asking about Belle earlier.'

Cesca's eyes widen as she swallows a little bit of her cocoa down the wrong way. Regina chuckles darkly as Cesca splutters a little.

'What about her?' She struggles to say, coughing a couple of times and hitting her chest twice.

'I'm not a dim-witted fool, Francesca.'

'Ok, so she's pretty. But she's off-limits, right?'

'Right.' Regina sips her water, turning away from Cesca's questioning eyes.

'So, what's it gotta do with anything?'

Regina sighs, and smirks slightly, looking down at her water before looking back up at Cesca.

'The fact that's she's taken, or off limits, or anything like that, doesn't mean you can't feel something for her. Trust me, I know.' She thinks back to her dear, beloved Daniel. She will never get him back now.

'I'm sorry,' Cesca says, standing up a little taller.

'Why?'

'I guess… I don't know you very well and we're talking about things like this.'

'That's not really the point, Francesca,' Regina says, putting her tumbler in the sink and rinsing it, before putting it on the drying rack. 'The point is, you're talking about it. It doesn't matter who it's to; all that matters is that they want to listen and that they can keep a secret. I am capable of both. It's not like there's anyone else you could talk to, is it?' She smiles encouragingly. Cesca smiles back, genuinely.

'Well, not yet,' Cesca says, grinning cheekily.

'You seem more than capable of making friends,' Regina states, leaning on the kitchen. 'After all, you've made one out of me.'

'I have?' Cesca's smile grows, happiness beaming on her face.

'You have. You're a very easy person to be around, Francesca.'

'You can call me Cesca, you know. If you want,' Cesca states, giving a familiar crooked smile.

'I've always liked the name Francesca,' Regina replies, ushering her into the study.

Cesca follows eagerly and spies the vast amount of books on the shelf. She goes over to look at them, while replying to Regina.

'Well, I did pick my own name.'

Regina raises her eyebrows.

'And how, pray tell, did you obtain that privilege?' Regina asks, studying her intensive search at the bookcase.

Cesca turns to Regina, snapping out of her book-filled mind, and looks at the woman directly.

'I lost my memory… a long time ago. I didn't exist, according to Doctors,' Cesca said, before pointing at a book on the shelf and raising her eyebrows, asking for permission. Regina nods, and Cesca takes the book out of the bookcase, clutching it to her chest.

'I was untraceable. So they told me to pick my name, pick a job and make a life for myself.' Cesca shrugs a bit, and sits on the sofa opposite Regina.

'Must have been a tad lonely,' Regina replies.

'It was,' Cesca says, looking up at Regina. 'But then I met Aidan. He changed everything. He's my little brother, for all intents and purposes,' she finishes.

Cesca feels a pang of guilt for leaving Aidan, which Regina senses. She doesn't press it though.

Out of the blue, her phone rings, and she immediately takes her phone out and answers it.

'Ravenclaw.'

She stands up as the person on the other end of the phone talks.

'Okay, I'll tell her, boss. Thanks. I can run by the station if you need?'

Regina drinks her in at this moment, while she isn't looking. She's well-built, with good muscles on her arms, but a flat stomach. She has taken her hair out of the band, and it's now flowing freely around her shoulders, reaching down to the bottom of the shoulder-blades on the back. Her attire reminds her of Emma's, but the blazer, although damp from the ground on one side, and the crispness of the white shirt could be likened to her own choice in fashion. She still has the same eyes. They're still the breathtaking ice blue she remembers, with the flecks of brown and green that gave her the most unique look when she focused on something. The same pink, plump lips remain, and the colour of her hair, the light brown with the slightest tint of blonde, but only enough to be noticed if a person looked closely. Regina's intense memories of the girl who befriended her at 10 years old cause her to tear up for a minute. She wipes away the stray one before Cesca could turn around.

Regina stands up as Cesca turns, and she finishes the conversation with the Sheriff.

'Sheriff says I'm on the all clear. Am I alright to leave? Thank you for, you know, keeping me entertained and everything.'

'Not at all, it was nice to have some company.' Regina smiles brightly, and opens the door to the study. They both go through it, and stand at the front door.

'Before you go,' Regina says, stopping Cesca from opening the door. 'If you like Belle, try and go about it rationally, okay? I know that feelings, or even love, can get in the way of our judgement. Trust me.'

'Thank you. I know that.' She puts her hand on Regina's shoulder and squeezes. Then she walks out of the door, back to Granny's where she parked.

Regina just stands there, trying to not break down at the fact her only friend had talked to her . Really talked to her.

She walks back into her house, sliding down the back of her door behind her. She bursts into tears. Not those movie star, fake tears that everyone tricks themselves into thinking they're real. No. Regina descends into a wave of despair that would never be seen as such - they are real, ugly, gut wrenching tears that only happen once in a blue moon.

'Mom?'

Her head snaps up, looking at her son who is standing on the stairs.

'H-Henry...' She simply cannot get her words out.

He runs down the stairs, rather gracefully for a just-13 year old. He doesn't try and bother his mother, or actively console her. Instead, he sits on Regina's lap. Like he used to, Regina thinks. He wraps his arms around her neck and lets her cry into his cry into his shoulder. He doesn't whisper sweet nothings in her ear, nor does he promise everything will be okay; but that's enough. For Regina, that's more than enough.

It is three hours later, when Regina is exhausted from the crying, that Henry speaks again.

'Can you tuck me in?'

Regina looks at him, astonished at his words. He nods vigorously, and Regina gets up, not letting go of her little boy's hand. They walk up the stairs, to Henry's room, and Regina cannot help the new tears that escape at the fact that her little boy truly loves her again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Ramira walked tall and bravely. The guards were walking behind her, torches and swords at the ready._

_People did part for her; she could see the fear that was associated with the guards who elected to help her on her... Errand, as it were._

_The stall was in full swing. A man with a scar running down the right side of his face, going through his lip and up to his cheekbone. He was smiling, so the jagged scar was painfully stretched out. She looked at the man, who was just about to throw a spear at the dummy of the Queen. The thought made her emotions rage._

_She was about to stop him, but instead she wanted to see his aim._

_The man jeered in the most disgusting manner, before hurling the spear straight at the dummy. It pierced the heart, and the fake blood that had been put into the dummy squirted out, in a way that was not lifelike in the slightest._

_The man smiled with a sneer, and was about to turn to his left side when Ramira punched him square in the jaw._

_Spectators could hear the bones crack in his cheek and jaw from 50 meters away._

_Blood spurted from his now split lip, and a cut had been made from the rough knuckles Ramira had sported from birth up the mans cheek. The next sound was his thud on the ground below him, as he tried in vain to stop his lip from losing more than a pint of blood._

_He looked up, and saw Ramira smiling her signature crooked smile down at the man._

_She looked away from him without a second thought, turning her attention to the stall owner._

_She pulled out a piece of paper, and began to read._

_'By decree of her Majesty Queen Regina of the North Kingdom, this stall is to be shut down, effective immediately. Anybody who elects to resurrect the stall or an organisation similar to its kind will be charged with treason, and anybody who attempts to defend or help the offender in any way will be treated with the same punishment. As for you,' she said, turning to look right at the stall owner, 'you are charged with one count of treason against the Crown.'_

_The man gulped audibly._

_'Your punishment will be three days in the grounds stocks. Spectators may throw... Anything they wish to.' She looked up from her paper and smiled mock-brightly at the man, who looked relieved not to be dead. She caught the attention of two of the guards behind her, and pointed subtly to the man, and they swiftly took him away to put him in the stocks._

_Most people echoed the mans reaction. They were surprised the man's head wasn't in a bucket on the pedestal._

_'Take it down,' she said to the other guards. They took the torches to the wood and the dummy, reducing the stall to ashes._

_With rage milling in her chest, she did not stay to watch it burn._

_As she walked, she did not see Rumplestiltskin watching her from afar. Yes, that's her, the imp thought. The one who fulfils my prophecy. _

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cesca walks over to Granny's after shoving her jacket in her car.

Ruby looks up, seeing her enter, and turns away from her for a second, taking a deep breath and composing herself.

She turns back to her, plastering a smile on her face.

'What can I get you, Deputy?'

'Oh God, please call me Cesca,' Cesca laughs, putting both her hands on the counter to hoist herself onto one of the stools.

'I'll take a burger and a cocoa with nutmeg, if you have it?'

'Coming right up,' Ruby says in response. She goes to put the order up before coming back to talk. 'Hey, have you found a place already?'

'What?' Cesca asks blindly, looking up at Ruby.

'Well, it's just that you're not staying here, so I thought you would have found a place...' Ruby trails off, not knowing what to say. _Damn, why am I so nervous?_

'Um, well...uhhh...'

Ruby's eyes widened in understanding.

'You're sleeping in your car?!'

Cesca sighs, and then looks at Ruby, pleading with her to keep quiet.

'Look, when I left San Francisco, I had to pay off this guy. I pretty much had to empty my bank account. So, all I have is the rest of that and last month's pay cheque. It's either food or a plush bed. My car's comfortable enough.'

'No car is comfortable enough,' ruby said, a disbelieving look on her face.

'Mine is. Look, please don't tell anyone, it's just till I can afford a place, okay? Especially not Emma or Regina. I don't want either of them looking that way at me. Okay?'

'Okay.'

'Thank you, Ruby.' She puts her hand over Ruby's, and with sad eyes gives her the signature crooked smile Ruby's seen on Emma so many times. She looks at those eyes, ice blue with brown and green flecks that she saw that day 48 years ago. When they were just children.

She takes her hand away, giving Cesca a reassuring look before going to pick up her order. She takes it over, putting it down all too quickly, and goes into the back. She closes the door, not seeing Granny unpacking a couple of lasagnes from the freezer.

And that's when she breaks down. She can't hold the despair in any more. She sobs, and when Granny comes over, she leans into her chest, sobbing on her shoulder.

She just can't believe she doesn't remember her. They have been through so much together.

She can't help the fact that she's desperately in love with her, and always has been: it's in her bones, wolf and human. Not even her Grandmother misunderstands that.

* * *

_**Send in some love… and also, which one would you like updated next? This, Lessons In Love or Revenge, or the second instalment of the two parter The Thing About Comic-Con? Tell me in the beautiful white box. Gracias. **_


	5. The Quaintest Form Of Communication

_**Ok guys…. I AM SO SO SORRY. I've been away for over three weeks at a summer school in Spain, so I've had wifi but I just haven't had the time to update. I hope you actually remember this, and again, I'm so sorry it's taken me so bloody long. Chapter 9 of Lessons in Love and Revenge will be up soon, as well as the last part of The Thing About Comic-Con.**_

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Cesca walks in to the interrogation room, rolling the sleeves up on her dark red blazer, which tops a black shirt. She's wearing jeans and knee high boots again, much like the Sheriff herself. Her hair is loose behind her back. She leans against the door as she closes it, looking at the man sitting in the chair, a defiant look plastered on his face.

'Ok… Mr French,' she says, glancing at her paperwork before looking back up at the man in the chair.

'I would put the tape on, but that's only necessary if I'm talking to you as a suspect, and you're already charged and on your way to being convicted,' She says, looking him straight in his angry, blue eyes. 'So I figured I could skip that today.'

She shoots him a humourless smirk before turning back to the paperwork.

'Mr. French, would you like to disclose your reasoning behind this attack?'

'I told you, I didn't try to run –'

'Cut the crap, French, we have over 20 witnesses including myself and the Sheriff,' Cesca snaps, leaning forward a little to intimidate the man before leaning back in her chair. She reverts to a completely relaxed look, somewhat surprising Moe.

She leans forward again, but slowly this time, resting her clasped hands on the cold wooden table in front of her.

'When I pushed Ms. Mills out of the way of your car, I heard the horn beep. Not a long beep, one that lasted under a second; seems to me that you'd hit the steering wheel, probably out of frustration and maybe even exasperation.

'And here is the proof of your attempt at a hit and run,' she continues, standing and grasping the folder on the filing cabinet next to the door. She pulls out a photo taken at the scene of the crime. She throws it at the table so it lands just in front of the perpetrator. Moe lifts his chin defiantly, before Cesca gives him a death glare which forces him to look down at the picture.

'It's a gearbox, what the fuck has that got to do with it?'

Cesca smiles again, humourlessly, before smacking both hands down on the table, keeping them there, and staring him right in the face.

'See that gearbox? It's in 5th. You were not planning on stopping, my friend.'

'How can you prove that you didn't change it when you moved the car?'

Cesca chuckles darkly. 'One: because it was taken in the evidence garage after we had moved it by tow truck, and two: I can easily swab for prints to see who's touched that gearstick. And I'll tell you now, the only prints that will be on it are yours and yours only. God bless science.' She smiles grimly before taking her hands away from the table.

She sits again.

'So tell me Moe… why?' She tilts her head to the side.

'Not telling.'

Cesca sighs, feigning defeat.

'Fine.' She gets up, and goes to the door. Before she opens it, however, she spins around again, smacking her hands down on the table like before, startling Moe out of his skin.

'I will tell you now, Mr French, that it is in your best interests to tell us why you committed this offence on Ms. Mills, and what on earth she has to do with you. Trust me. This,' she gestures between herself and the man sitting across from her, 'is not helping,' she snaps, startling the man again.

She goes and lifts him from his seat, pulling him roughly from his seat and escorting him back to his cell. She wordlessly sits him on the bed and walks out, aggressively locking the door and making her way out of the station. The night before, she had devised a security system with the CCTV, linking it to her mobile phone; she will be notified immediately if any sort of escape was attempted.

Emma appears out of one of the side rooms in the corridor, adjusting the collar on her black leather jacket. She hasn't worn it in a while, and there's a kind of comfort she finds in it.

'Hey, thanks for doing the interview. How'd it go?' They start to walk alongside each other out of the station.

'Can't get a bloody word out of him, but he's an idiot, that's for sure,' Cesca fires back, walking quickly and efficiently. They walk out of the station door, Cesca holding it open for her superior.

'Oh yeah? Why's that?'

'He's never touched a police drama channel or read a book on law, has he?'

'Where are you going with this?'

'He could have asked for a lawyer the minute he was put in that police cruiser, but he doesn't even know he could have one.'

'Well, one lawyer is his daughter's partner, who hates his guts for keeping her away from him for a while,' Emma says, seeing Cesca's weirded out face and smiling grimly, 'and the other is our victim. So he'd be out of luck anyway.'

Cesca makes a noise of amused agreement, before turning her direction to her car.

'Want me to have a go?' Emma asks, hoping she'll say no.

'Na, just give him until the end of the day. His resolve will wear off when the night falls. He won't want to-'

'Spend more than one night in a dank cell with the hardest mattress in the world.'

Cesca stops unlocking her Chevy Impala to look up at Emma, who over at her own yellow bug is craning her head back to look at her deputy.

'How long?'

'11 months.' Emma starts to look uneasy, when Cesca smiles encouragingly back at her.

'Look at you now.'

Emma smiles a lopsided smile, and Cesca returns her own, it seemingly being their own signature smile.

They get into their respective cars; Emma driving to the docks to talk to the guys at the evidence garage, Cesca driving to Granny's to pick up their lunch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cesca is waiting for her order of two grilled cheeses, one soda and one cocoa when Regina storms into the diner, obviously with a goal.

She sees the Deputy sitting on the stool, twirling a salt shaker around her finger. Regina walks over to her, a disapproving look on her face.

Regina puts her hand on the salt shaker, abruptly stopping the noise the glass on the counter made. It catches the Deputy's attention.

Regina is looking her with exasperated expectancy.

'Mayor Mills?'

'You're sleeping in your car?!'

The Deputy looks at the Mayor, absolutely bewildered.

'How did you find out about that?'

'Granny's is completely empty at the moment, and has been for at least a year.'

'Damn.' Cesca looks down at the salt shaker before putting it back in the container she found it in.

'For a Detective you don't cover your own tracks very well.' Cesca chuckles at that, even though Regina's stern tone does not exactly suggest laughter is the best medicine at this precise moment.

'I guess not.'

'Why?'

'Because I need to save up for my own place. If I wanna stay here I need somewhere to _live, _not just somewhere to stay. If I keep paying for Granny's, there's no point. There won't be any money to put away.'

'What about the money you had when you first came here?'

'I didn't have a lot.'

'Well, I won't pry.'

'Thank you.'

'Look, I know that we haven't known each other very long,' Regina starts, not really sure if this is the best idea she has ever come up with. 'But I am the Mayor of this town and I cannot just stand by and let people sleep in their cars purely because their funds, or any other circumstances, do not allow them a bed for the night.' Regina thinks back to the certain leather-clad blonde that was so close to sleeping in her car before her own mother offered her the spare room. However much of her old, evil self still remained, she still feels a tiny pang of guilt for making Eugenia kick her out of her room.

'I appreciate it, Madame Mayor, but what exactly are you saying to me?'

Regina takes a deep breath.

'I'm offering, Deputy,' she proposes, 'that you stay in my house.'

Cesca's eyes widen. 'Madame Mayor, I couldn't possibly-' she starts, putting up her hands in a gesture to distance herself from the offer.

'Listen, Francesca. There won't be any places for sale or for rent for quite a while – you probably would give up waiting. This place is very much somewhere where outsiders don't particularly do well fitting in. It took Sheriff Swan a very long time to settle in,' _All because of me. _'But if you move into my house, have your own room,' she stops the words of protest about to leave the Deputy's mouth, 'and then you will feel a little more… at home in Storybrooke.'

Cesca looks quite overwhelmed at the fact she now has somewhere she could maybe call home in the small town she hoped could change her life. It is something she's been hoping for, and now it's staring her in the face. The face of Regina Mills, the town's fucking _Mayor._

_Wow._

'Okay. Say I did take this offer,' she says, turning around to face the Mayor. 'What do you want to charge for rent?'

Regina looks around, and then shrugs nonchalantly. 'I don't know… how about grocery shopping every other week?'

Cesca looks at her, incredulous. 'That's not nearly enough, your house is…'

Regina raises her eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

'Amazing! A room in your house is worth for that 26 grocery shops a week!'

'It's enough, Francesca. Trust me.'

Cesca keeps looking at the woman, hardly believing what she's hearing.

She closes her gaping mouth, looking at Regina with a smile on her face that, for once in her life, reaches her eyes.

'I accept. Thank you so much, Regina, you don't know how much that means.'

'Keep true on those grocery shops and you'll most certainly be welcome.' She smiles in what to others may seem like a businesslike manner, but to Cesca, she could see the gratitude behind her irises. The little message that says: _Thank you for letting me in._

She smiles back, sporting the same crooked smile that she does so often.

'Bring your things over after your shift this afternoon. I'll be home, but Henry's with Miss Swan tonight. Home is 108 Mifflin Street, by the way.'

'108, got it. Is Henry going to be okay with this? Thanks Ruby,' she says, taking her order from the girl. She smiles at her, letting it linger for a moment, which is reciprocated by Ruby. The wolf reluctantly walks away while Cesca puts the order in her other hand.

She doesn't hear the sigh that comes from the wolf girl as the two women walk out of the restaurant.

'I will have to talk to him,' Regina says, looking out to the road now in front of them.

'However, he seems rather taken by you already, Francesca. He said so himself. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind it, as long as you take the time to give him a sword fight every now and again.'

'Oh no, I'll be introducing him to the wonder of the lightsaber,' Cesca replies, chuckling.

'What?! Those things are utterly dangerous!'

Cesca laughs out loud this time, grasping Regina's shoulder. She flinches at the touch, but welcomes it, not shying away from the touch.

'Relax, they don't actually exist – just the toy ones you can buy at the supermarket.' She says, laughing still. Regina looks down, embarrassed at her wrong assumption.

'Hey, you're the mother of an almost teenage kid, you were gonna find out sometime.' She smiles, which Regina catches, and the woman relaxes a little more.

'Thank you, Madame Mayor.'

'Call me Regina.'

Cesca looks her in the eye. She smiles her lopsided smile one more time, before leaving to get back into her Impala.

'Regina?' The woman looks up as she hears her name.

'Thank you,' Cesca shouts back, before getting in the Impala and driving to the evidence garage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emma is searching through the car, a mechanics suit put on over her navy T-shirt while she looks in the engine. Her hair has been scraped back into a ponytail, some hairs from her side fringe invading the side of her face, clinging to it from the slight sweat the work of the job has conjured.

'Whoa, I didn't think the car would need taking apart, boss.'

Emma's head jolts up and she bumps her head on the hood of the car. 'Ow.'

'Sorry.'

'It's fine,' Emma replies, rubbing her head roughly before looking back at the alternator.

'So what exactly is it that you're looking for?'

'That's the thing. I don't know.'

'But you have a hunch.'

'Yep.'

'I'll try the bottom of the car.'

'Thanks.'

They look for about half an hour. Emma is looking under the lining of the car, while Cesca is checking the exhaust pipe.

'Found something.'

Cesca pulls out a piece of paper rolled up in the exhaust pipe. Something hard is on the inside of it.

She gives it to Emma who rolls it out, her brows furrowing as she looks at the object in her hand.

'Pass it?'

Emma does so wordlessly, and she looks at the paper while the Deputy examines the object wrapped inside the piece of dirty lined paper.

Suddenly, Cesca realises what she's holding.

She jolts out of her stance, running over to the tool table and rapidly searching for something. Emma looks up, her eyes wide in confusion.

'What?'

Cesca finds what she's look for and she delicately pushes the tiny copper rod, that's about three inches long, into the hole that peeks out at the top of the metal cylinder in her hand. She takes a deep breath, putting the object down on the table.

'What the hell?'

'That,' Cesca deduces, 'was a 108 IED explosive, or more commonly known as a fingernail bomb.'

'What? That was stuffed up his exhaust pipe?!'

'I couldn't tell you when that would have blown apart. It could have been seconds, or even weeks. They're radio signalled, normally, but I believe that this one has been disconnected. The wire at the bottom is shot.'

'Why would Moe put a fingernail bomb up his exhaust pipe?'

Cesca shrugs as she looks back at the piece of paper Emma is holding. Emma catches Cesca's eye, and puts the paper so both of them can clearly see what has been written.

Or, what has been printed with letters cut out from a magazine.

'NO ONE GETS AWAY WITH IT'

They look at each other, and back down to the message that Emma's holding.

'Someone's out to get Regina,' Emma says, looking at it with more fervour.

Cesca just looks at the now neutralised bomb, not being able to help but think she's seen it somewhere before.

'I can get him to talk.'

Cesca leaves Emma with those words, and Emma nods wordlessly as she follows her out to their cars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cesca is back in the interview room, pacing slowly around the desk where Moe sits, his defiant expression never leaving his face.

'Moe, the charges against you will only get worse if you don't open up to me.'

'I don't care. I'm not saying a word.'

'Why not?'

She stares him down, and watches as his defiant expression turns, gradually transforming into an uneasy look.

She lean forward, her expression softening somewhat.

'Moe, did someone make you do this? Are you being offered money to harm Ms. Mills?'

His lip starts to quiver.

'We will protect you, Moe.' Cesca knows it's the finality of the sentence that will clinch him. She has had enough experience to know that in a scared person's mind, the words 'can protect you' will never mean the same thing as 'will protect you'.

'There is somebody who is trying to harm Regina. I don't know his name, but I've talked to him. He offered me a bailout, it was going to save my business.'

'We're gonna need to sit you with Dr. Hopper, and you can give him a description of this man – then he can sketch that description, and we can find this guy, okay?'

'I've never seen him, I've only spoken to him on the phone.'

'Okay,' Cesca says, 'Well could you possibly sign a authorization giving us permission to look at your phone records?'

He nods wordlessly. 'Your charge will be less severe for helping us, Moe, but you will still be receiving a reprimand for what you did. Do you understand?'

He nods again, before looking up at the Deputy and giving her a small smile. She gets up, and escorts him out of the interview room. She puts him back in the cell. Emma watches in confusion from her office chair, her legs crossed on the table.

'Your release papers will be filed soon, okay. Do you want an appointment with Dr. Hopper?'

He nods again with the same small smile.

She returns it while she locks the cell door. She goes to turn away.

'I never wanted to be a bad man, you know. I just want what's best for my Belle.'

Cesca does not turn around but she hears loud and clear. She stops in her tracks, and catches Emma's eye.

'I know,' she replies. She walks over to the office, talking in a hushed tone with Emma about his release papers.

They sign Moe out, and tell him there will be an armed officer from the neighbouring precinct to guard his house 24/7. He's also told that same officer will be watching him while he does 100 hours of community service.

They know a fine would devastate him altogether.

'You've been sleeping in your car, haven't you?'

Cesca looks up from her window in her Impala, her paperwork littering her front seat, about two hours later at 6pm.

Emma has obviously noticed the blanket still spread out in the back.

She smiles brightly at Emma, who looks back at her in amused confusion.

'Not any more, boss.' Emma chuckles at the nickname, vowing she won't ask.

'I'll see you tomorrow, Dep,' Emma says, walking away to give Cesca some space to back out of the parking bay.

Cesca waves once before pulling away, driving to her new home in Storybrooke. _108 Mifflin Street._

* * *

_**THERE IT IS!**_

_**Next: Emma and Regina return to their fiery argumentative ways, Cesca moves in to number 108, and there is a shocking new development in the case. **_

_**PLEASE review, and tell me how I did with my first time writing police dramatics! Much love. X **_


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